Psalm Category: Enthronement Psalm

Central Thought: Psalm 47 foreshadows the reunification of humanity that was accomplished in the ascension of King Jesus and that will be fully realized at His return.

Keywords: Goyim, ‘Am/‘Ammim, and le‘um/le‘ummim. Psalm 47 has a worldwide reach and focus. One of the ways it emphasizes this reach is by employing several different Hebrew words for non-Israelites. These include goyim (“nations,” v. 10), ‘Am/‘Ammim (“people/peoples,” vv. 1, 3 and 9), and le‘um/le‘ummim (“tribe/tribes,” v. 3). This emphasis on the nations reminds us of the great promise contained in Revelation 7:9: “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”

Psalm 47

In August 1961, the Soviet-controlled government in East Germany began construction of a wall to divide the city of Berlin. Eventually, the wall was extended so that it completely divided the nation of Germany. The once-unified people of Germany, people sharing a common language and culture, became divided. For nearly three decades, the German people longed for reunification.

In June 1987, at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, U.S. President Ronald Reagan issued the following clarion call to the Soviets: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Two years later, the wall began to come down, and the two nations were eventually reunified.

Psalm 47 speaks about similar themes. It deals with the issues of division and reunification, except the wall spoken of in Psalm 47 did not simply divide one nation—it divided all of humanity.

A Call to Worship to the Nations (vv. 1-4).This psalm opens with a universal call to worship. All “nations” (v. 1), “all the earth” (v. 2), and all “peoples” (v. 3) are called to worship God. The nations are called to worship God because He is awesome (v. 2), He subdues the nations (v. 3), and He blesses His own people (v. 4).

The call to worship is not voluntary. The nations being called to worship here are Israel’s conquered enemies. The imagery of these verses hearkens back to Israel’s conquest of Canaan, during which the foreign nations were subdued by the armies of God as Israel put her feet on the necks of foreign kings (Josh. 10:24).

A Call to Worship to Israel (vv. 5-8). In this section, the call to worship is more narrowly focused on Israel. These verses describe a liturgical setting in which the people of Israel have gathered around the temple in Jerusalem. During this liturgy, they are given a five-fold command to sing praises to God (vv. 6-7). Israel is called to worship God as He ascends (v. 5) and takes His seat on His throne (v. 8). Israel is celebrating the victory of her King. God has descended to lead his people into battle, and now He ascends the victor to the shouts of praise from His people. Most likely God’s presence is represented here through the ark of the covenant. The ark is being returned to the holy place.

A Call for Reunification (v. 9). As we have seen, Psalm 47 presents a stark division in humanity. The basic division is between Israel and the rest of the world. After the Fall, humanity became divided. In the Old Testament, the nations only served God when they were under the boot of Israel. However, God reveals in verse 9 that this division will not remain.

The psalmist speaks of a grand reunification of the human race. The focus returns to the nations, but now the nations assemble “as the people of the God of Abraham.” Instead of coming as conquered enemies, they come willingly as full members of the covenant community.

Verse 9 looks both backward and forward. It looks back to God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, where Abraham is told that he will bless “all nations.” It also looks forward to Jesus Christ who makes this blessing a reality (Gal. 3:7-9). Jesus is the ascended king referred to in Psalm 47. He is the king who left the glory of heaven and descended to earth in His incarnation. He conquered Satan, sin, sickness, oppression, and even death. After His resurrection He ascended as the great victor and led captivity itself captive. Like the ark, Jesus, the conquering presence of God, ascended to the most holy place of all. He ascended to heaven itself (Heb. 9:24). Jesus is the great King who tore down the wall that divided humanity (Eph. 2:14-15). Jesus reunified the human race.

—Anthony Selvaggio